Lian Yu Redemption
by QueenzSmoak
Summary: Post Season 5 one shot story. Does anyone survive Lian Yu and will Oliver ever see his friends again?
1. Chapter 1

Lian Yu: Redemption

Post Season 5 one shot story. Does anyone survive Lian Yu and will Oliver ever see his friends again?

Chapter 1:

"God Damn it. Noooo!. Felicity!" Oliver screamed as he watched the flames spread over Lian Yu like wildfire. "I'm so sorry." He wept. He thought that he could outthink Adrian Chase, that with a little luck he could save them all. But that was just arrogance, the same arrogance that had brought him into this mess in the first place.

"Where's my mum?" William asked. He held his son tight, gripping onto him afraid to let go. He was all he had left now as he tried to drown out the screams of his friends.

"I am so sorry William, but your mum..."

"No!" William cried. He was a smart kid, something Oliver was sure he got from his mother. God, what twist of cold fate had placed Samantha on that island as well. He should never have found that cheque, should never have run that dna test or insisted on seeing Samantha. He should have left it all alone. "Mum." William cried out as they stood watching the flames together.

Oliver found himself torn between disbelief, unbridled rage and immeasurable grief. He wanted to turn the boat around and search every inch of the island for them. But he knew that he had to get William as far away from here as possible. His heart raced in his chest and he found it difficult to catch his breath. He felt is jaw stiffen and his hands clench into tight fists as he tried not to lose control, not while William still needed him. He wanted to kill Adrian Chase for what he had done, but he was already dead, spread out behind him with a hole in his head of his own making. "Damn you Chase." He cursed, "You never intended for any of us to make it off this island alive did you, you bastard!"

He felt the soft touch of her lips, as she kissed him unexpectedly, the smile on his face when he realised that she was finally his again and then the sound of her voice warning him of the danger. She had tried to warn him that there wasn't enough time, but he had begged her to try anyway. He couldn't let her just give up. He knew deep down in his heart that there was no chance that she could have made it. He doubted even he could have gotten to the other side of the island in time, let alone her. She never was very athletic he recalled, imagining all the times he had tried to train her to no avail. "Why do I need all that." She had teased him, "That's why I have you for."

Tears welled in his eyes as he watched the plumes of smoke climb into the clouds above as they choked out the light.

"What are we going to do now?" William asked as he looked to Oliver for the answer, one hand still gripped around Oliver's waist.

"Damn it." He took a deep breath and cleared his thoughts. We've faced worse odds than this before he thought to himself. "William, I need you to go inside and find somewhere safe to hide."

"Where are we going?" He asked as he trustingly began to follow Oliver's orders.  
"Back to the island."

"Do you think my mum is still alive?"  
"I hope so." He said, turning the key and starting the engines.

The smell of the trees burning was intense and the smoke was so thick that they could barely see in front of him. He coughed again, clearing his lungs as he called out their names over and over again. "Felicity, Samantha, Thea, Diggle."

It was impossible to know which direction they had gone in. He didn't even know the coordinates of the plane where they had started out from. All he could do was make a rough guess of where they might have started out, and plot a course towards the east side of the island. What he wouldn't give for a bit of technology right now, or Felicity's keen ability to track a person across continents. If they had a heartbeat, she could find them. He felt the overwhelming wave of fear and grieve build within him again and he pushed it down with what little resilience he had left. They were alive, they had to be, he needed them to be, needed her to be. He knew from his previous time on the island that there were a few places that they may have been able to survive in, if they made it there in time. Slade would have known that too and he prayed that he had taken them there. "Please." He prayed, "Let them be safe."

"We'll never make it in time." Lance had no illusions about how fast he could run, and he knew he couldn't make it in twenty hours let alone twenty minutes. He hadn't run since his time in the academy when he had to run track. These days, with old age setting he, he could barely walk let alone sprint for his life.

"You heard the kid." Slade ordered, slinging his weapon over his shoulder, "We need to go NOW!"

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Felicity said, shrugging of his attempt to grab her arm and escort her down the trail, "Oliver might trust you, but that doesn't mean I have to." She felt Curtis move in beside her, backing her play as Nyssa and Diggle flanked him on either side.

"We haven't got time for this guys." Rene tried to break the tension, they were wasting precious moments. He also knew that Slade was their best chance of getting out of here alive.

"Finally, someone with a brain. Let's go." Slade ordered again. Not waiting for a response, he grabbed Samantha by the arm and began sprinting across the island.

"Hey." They all called out as they took off in close pursuit, leaving the sabotaged plane behind.

"Stop, please, I can't." Samantha begged him but he only increased his pace further as she was dragged along with him.

"If you want to see your son again then you need to keep up."

"We're not heading East." Curtis noticed aloud after several minutes,

"Where are you taking us?" Felicity asked trying to keep up.

"Somewhere you'll be safe. Hurray we don't have much time." Slade had barely finished his sentence as the path behind them collapsed in on itself and the island erupted in another explosion of ash and timber.

"Oh god. Oliver!" Felicity panicked as she wondered where he was. No time to mourn, Diggle grabbed Felicity by the arm and dragged her along beside him, praying they would make it in time.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

The flames were so hot that even though they were still over a hundred meters behind them she still felt the burn from their rays. The ground was shaking so much that she could barely keep her footing, she had stubbed her toes so many times that she had lost count. She was also certain that she had twisted her ankle in the process. "Dig?" She screamed, she had no idea where they were going and she could hear the trees cracking and falling behind them.

"Hold on Felicity, hold on." Diggle called back as he followed Slade's lead. Curtis, Dinah and Rene were keeping pace with Slade but Lance was falling behind and Nyssa had disappeared from view. Felicity, already being dragged along by Diggle, reached out and grabbed Lance's hand and helped him to keep up with the rest of the group. Before she could even process what was going on, she watched those ahead of her disappear before her as she found herself falling involuntarily with a not so gentle tug from Diggle, before crash landing on the concrete below.

"What the?" She asked as she lifted her head off of Diggles chest and rubbed her knees where they hand connected with the floor. "Where are we?"

"Safe." Diggle responded helping her to her feet, "At least, I think we are." He added as Felicity's ankle gave way a little underneath her as she tried to stand. "Is it broken?" he asked concerned.  
"I hope not." She took a seat nearby on the concrete shelf and noted for the first time that she was in some kind of cell, thick steel bars, no windows and the only way in and out was a long ladder up to the roof. She could feel the walls shaking as the island collapsed around them. "Where the hell are we?"  
"Who would of thought that an ARGUS maximum security cell could come in handy?" Slade joked as he secured the hatch and re-joined them.

"This was your cell?" Rene asked looking around, "Seems kind of…"  
"Hellish?" Slade responded as he took a breath, "Not my cell, but someone once lived here." He said, noting the bottles of water in the corner and the single blanket on the bed.

"How many of you are there on the island?" Lance asked as he studied the room.

"No one actually knows." Thea admitted

"Here." Slade said handing a bottle to Samantha. "Sorry to frighten you like that but we were out of time and I needed to do something to make you all follow me."  
"Considering we are all alive, I think we can hardly argue the point later." Dinah accepted his apology for him. "How long will this place hold up for anyway?" She asked as parts of the concrete structure began to chip away and land on the floor around them. Felicity ducked her head to avoided a piece as Samantha squealed and looked to Felicity for reassurance.

"It will be ok, Oliver will find us, he will." Felicity assured her.

"What about William? What if he is still on the island?" Samantha shook her head, longing to go out and find him. "I need to find him."

"I'm sure he is with Oliver." Felicity took her hand and sat down beside her, "You have to trust that Oliver has William's best interest at heart, he wouldn't do anything to harm him."

"Hmm." Samantha scoffed, Felicity knew that tone well, she had used it herself a lot recently. Something she regretted deeply and only prayed that she had the chance to make right.

"Oliver didn't choose this life, it was chosen for him. But he's a good man Samantha, he was willing to give up ever knowing his son to keep him safe, you need to trust him."  
"Do you?" She asked, hitting a nerve.

She had asked herself that a lot lately, and after their time together in the bunker one thing had become very clear to her. "I do."

"Then I need you to promise me something. If I don't make it out of here, you need to promise me that you and Oliver will look after William."

"Samantha I don't think..." There was no point in defeatist talk, and she knew that Oliver didn't think it was a good idea for William to be in his world, and maybe he was right.  
"Please Felicity." Samantha begged. "I need to know that William will be safe, that he will be loved."

"I promise." She said and meaning it. A silence fell between them and Felicity was looking for a way to break the ice again when Diggle came up towards them.

"Here." Diggle found an old sheet and tore it into strips. Lifting up Felicity's leg he carefully took off her boot.

"Is it bad?" Felicity cringed, "Ouch." The touch of Diggle's hand sent searing pain through her nerves.

"You're not going to be walking on it anytime soon, that's for sure." He said wrapping it as tightly as he could.

"So what's the plan?" Lance asked, looking around at the room for another way out as a loud thud came from above and the temperature in the room started to rise.

"What was that?" Felicity asked.

"Has anybody else noticed how hot it is in here?" Dinah asked removing her jacket.

"Great." Lance scoffed, "Out of the fire into the frying pan."

"How much oxygen is in here do you think?" Rene asked suddenly feeling claustrophobic. Thea looked at the cell, trying to find a second way out.

"Better question." Slade began, "How long can we last without any supplies?"

"My god." They mutually exclaimed realising that they weren't out of danger yet. They were trapped in a concrete tomb and it wouldn't be too long before their oxygen ran out or they were boiled alive.

"Felicity, Diggle, Anybody. Please." It looked more like a battle field than an island. All that was left were uprooted trees still burning where they fell, new ravines where the ground had given way and fallen to the earth below and a thick covering of ash and soot. He couldn't even navigate by known landmarks anymore, he was completely blind. Taking it one step at a time, Oliver tried to keep the boat where William was hiding in sight as he made his way across the island.

There was so much he regretted, so many questions he had to be answered and so many apologies to make up for. He knew that all of the people he cared for, Lance and Slade included, were only here because he had refused to kill Adrian Chase the other night when he found out that he had kidnapped his son. If he had of just let him be transferred, or killed him then and there before he ever boarded that plane, then none of them would be here right now, fighting for their lives. But William would still be kidnapped and no one would ever have known where he was. He had chosen William over all else not once, but twice. "Kill me and William lives." Adrian's ultimatum haunted him, "But your friends will die. Or choose your friends and I'll kill William." How could he ever make that choice? He was going to lose ether way, and now it seemed like he had anyway. William was an innocent, he was a child and he knew deep down that given the choice every one of them would have agreed to sacrifice their life for him, but that knowledge didn't make the pain of their loss any easier to handle.

He could see what was left of the valley up ahead, it was hard work climbing over the trees that blocked his path, his hands were scarred from pushing all the burning logs out of his way and his eyes stung from all the ash but he yearned to reach what was left of the fuselage so that he could see if his friends were inside. They had once called it home, and although it wasn't much, it could have given them some protection from the burning sky. His legs ached and every muscle in his body was urging him to give up and return to William but he pushed his pain aside and continued. "Diggle? Slade?" he had stopped calling her name, the absence of her calling back only stung him further.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

"Damn it." Rene cursed as he tried to open the hatch. "There must be something trapped on top of it."

"Probably a tree. Or ten feet of island." Lance sounded defeated as he stepped back from below the hatch and leaned defeated against the wall.

"Oh my god." Samantha stood up and started pacing back and forth. "What are we going to do?"  
"Pray." Slade said as he took over from Rene and tried to force the hatch open.

"I need to get out of here, I need to find William."

"We will. We will." Felicity held her hand in support, trying to drown out her own doubts.

"We will find your son Samantha." Lance agreed, "None of us have given up yet."

"Wait a minute." Thea looked around the room, "Where's Nyssa?"

"Oh no. She didn't make it." Felicity couldn't believe that she hadn't noticed her absence. The room fell silent as they all looked around at each other. Felicity and Slade locked eyes, followed closely by Diggle and then a renewed sense of passion filled the room, none of them were prepared to die on this island. With a renewed sense of urgency and hope, Slade and Diggle took turns trying to open the hatch as the others sat back and prayed for a miracle.

"Almost, I'm sure I felt it give way." Diggle called out as Slade repositioned for a better grip.

"Not long now ladies and we will be out of here." Slade promised them optimistically.

"The sooner the better please. I could really do with some fresh air." Thea jest as she looked across to Felicity who was struggling to breath, the air was already getting thin.

"Finally." Diggle announced as the hatch finally gave way and everyone breathed in deep as the fresh air filled their tomb. Followed shortly by a round of coughing as the fine particles of soot and ash filled the room.

"You did it." Dinah applauded them as everyone lined up to climb up the ladder.

"I think I had a hand in that." Her voice was like a ray of hope to them all.

"I never thought I'd be glad to see you." Lance shook his head as he was helped out of the hatch and onto the ground. "Thank you Nyssa."

"My pleasure." She smiled helping each one out in turn.

"Ms Smoak?" Slade held out his hand to help her over to the ladder,

"If got her." Diggle interrupted as he reached around her waist and lifted her onto her feet. "You help Samantha."

"Where is she?" Felicity asked as the space beside her was now empty.

"Wait No!" Rene's voice echoed through the small room from above.

"Where is she?" Lance asked Dinah as they joined the others up top.

"She ran off towards the ocean. Rene ran after her." Dinah was looking back and forth, trying to decide what to do next.  
"It's not safe, the whole island is sinking and there are sink holes everywhere." Nyssa informed them, "I barely survived myself."  
"We need to go after her." Curtis sounded panicked, Felicity could see how torn he was, how torn they all were.  
"We need to find Oliver." Thea added, "If he is still alive then he might need our help."

"We can't split up." Diggle knew from his experience in the army that to survive a unit had to stick together.

"He's right. Felicity doesn't look like she can go far on that leg, and Samantha and Rene could be anywhere by now." Nyssa said almost coldly.

"She's the mother of Oliver's son." Felicity reminded them, "He would never forgive us if we abandoned her now."

"I will go and look for them." Nyssa volunteered, "You go and find Oliver and I will meet you at the vessel."

"You can't go alone." Curtis shook his head reluctantly.

"She's not." Dinah stepped forward, "I'm going with her."

"I have a bad feeling about this." Felicity whispered to Diggle as he lifted her up ready to continue their escape.

"I know." Diggle agreed, "But what other choice do we have?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

It wasn't easy going but tired, thirsty and covered in ash from head to toe they each found whatever focus they needed to make their way to the ARGUS vessel, waiting on the other side of the island. They knew they would be presumed dead, and if they had any hope of getting off of the island they needed to make it to that boat before it headed back for home. That sole thought had been the reason behind Thea's decision to stay with the others instead of going after Samantha. With Diggle and Curtis taking care of Felicity and Slade preoccupied with helping Samantha, she needed to race at full speed if any of them had any chance of making it off the island alive.

Felicity hoped, that if by some small chance Oliver had managed to survive, that he would make his way there to meet them and just maybe he would be waiting for them there already. Slade and Curtis took point, testing the ground and clearing away any debris in their way while Lance kept an eye out for any sign of Oliver, Samantha or William.

"So Ms Smoak." Slade began as they made their way slowly East, "Oliver never did tell me how you too met."

"And you thought I would?" Sure he had saved them so far, but she still didn't know if she could trust him.

"I can see why Oliver desires you." Slade smirked, pushing another log aside. It wouldn't budge so he jumped on top and reached out for Felicity as Diggle and Curtis handed her up to him. "Don't worry, you'll see him again."  
"That's the first thing you've said that I agree with." Felicity let her guard down a little as she was lowered back down to the ground and left leaning against the log for Diggle to return. "He said you were his friend once."  
"Hmm… after a year together stuck on this island trying to survive, he was more like a brother than a friend."  
"But you tried to kill him." Felicity had, had questions for a long time and now was as good a time as ever to get some answers.  
"I did." Slade admitted, "I wanted him to suffer, like I had suffered."  
"Was that entirely the Mira kuru's fault?"

"No. There was a girl." Slade began.  
"Shadow?" Felicity interrupted him.

"He told you about her?" He was surprised that Oliver would share such a dark secret from his past, this girl truly must be something special.  
"He told me everything."  
"I doubt that." Slade smirked again, he knew his friend better than that. He was sure there were still a few demons he hadn't confessed yet.

"Back off man." Diggle warned, "Don't even try to mess with our heads." He moved himself and Felicity further away so that he had room to react if he needed. Lance saw his motion and they clocked eyes for a moment.  
"Easy soldier, I was merely expressing an opinion." Slade said throwing his hands up in surrender as Curtis and Lance stood their ground nearby.

"Well keep them to yourself next time." Lance suggested.  
"As I was saying." Slade continued, as they persisted on their journey. "I hated Oliver with a blind fury, you see I loved Shadow, her strength, her spirit. I desired her, but she desired Oliver and I was jealous of that. When she died, I felt nothing but an intense rage."

"Oliver did mention something to that effect." Diggle joined the conversation as Lance listened in, hearing the news for the first time.

"What about now?" Felicity needed to know that Slade wouldn't try to kill Oliver the minute he saw him again, especially with ARGUS just around the corner.  
"Well let's just say that I've had some time to think, and ten years is a long time to get some perspective."

"I will take that into consideration." Felicity was warming up to him. After all he had saved their lives and he had declared that no one was leaving he island without Oliver and his son. Maybe he had changed, but had he changed enough to be allowed off of the island?

"Felicity?" Oliver called out as he stopped and took a look around. He could search this island for weeks and never find her. But something inside of him couldn't let him give up on her, not now, not ever. Not to mention Thea and John, and how would he explain abandoning Samantha to William? His entire world was out here on this island and he had to find them.

"Oliver?"

He wasn't sure if he was hearing things,

"Oliver?" He heard the faint noise calling out again.

"Whose there?" He asked as he made his way towards where the noise was coming from. Before anyone could answer he noticed the familiar cut of the black cloth and saw the frail movements of the hand underneath it. He started to dig him out by hand, hoping frantically that this was only the first survivor and that there could be others.

"Thank you Oliver, I never thought anyone would hear me." His voice was weak, and he was clearly injured but he was most definitely alive.

"Thea told me you were dead."  
"I almost was." He said, shaking off the dirt and finding his legs as Oliver helped him to his feet. "It's not that I'm glad to see you alive Malcolm." Oliver quipped, "But Felicity is still out here somewhere, Thea too."  
"My god." Merlin looked around. "It's a miracle that I survived this, I hate to think."  
"Can you walk?"  
"I think so. Why?"  
"We need to go to find them."

"Not that I'm against that plan." Merlin hesitated, "But how?"

"By turning over every rock, every log left until I do. I won't leave this island without her."

"Well I guess we better get going then, because if Felicity is alive then Thea is too and I won't abandon my daughter."

"Samantha, please you need to slow down."  
"But I can see it, can't you?"  
"See what?"  
"There." Just over the horizon, Samantha could see the slightest glimpse of something glistening in the sun. It was still a fair distance away but at least they had a destination now.

"It could be anything. We don't know that William is there."  
"Oliver said he was on a boat. If William was on the boat too then he might have survived all of this."

"And if he's not? We can't even tell from here if that is a boat. It could be anything."

"It is. I can feel it." Samantha insisted racing ahead of them.

"Samantha stop." Nyssa called out but it was too late. Before anyone could stop her, Samantha and Rene both disappeared before their eyes.

"Oh my god, where did they go?" Dinah asked as she pulled up sharply.

"Watch your step." Nyssa warned her, "The ground is unstable."

"Samantha, Rene." Dinah called out, but there was no answer, the ground didn't even move.

"Here." Nyssa handed her a long branch as she took her hand and brace herself on a nearby rock. "I'll hold your weight and you try to reach in and find them." Dinah took the stick without hesitation and with Nyssa holding her tight, she leaned into the earth where Samantha and Rene had just disappeared, hoping that she could find them and pull them back out.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

"This is ridiculous. We could be walking around in circles for all we know." Lance was exhausted and his feet were covered in blisters from the heat emanating from the ground.

"The East bay is just up ahead, I assure you." Slade insisted, not slowing his pace.

"Trust you!" Thea had kept quiet until now but her blood was boiling over. "Trust you. You kidnapped me, killed my mother, tortured Oliver and tried to kill Felicity and we are meant to trust you at your word?"  
"I said I was sorry. Would you like to talk it out over a cup of coffee?"

"You can joke all you like but I will NEVER trust you." Thea retorted, afraid they were being led into a trap. The last thing Oliver had asked her to do was to keep her safe, and here she was putting their fate in the hands of a murderer.

"Suit yourself but if you don't want Oliver to be taking you home in a cardboard box then I suggest that you follow my lead."  
"Is that a threat?" Thea asked, as Felicity felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

"Please." Felicity urged, "We don't have time for this."

"What if he's walking us into a trap? And the minute he sees the boat he leaves us here for dead and takes off without us."

"Because I owe Oliver my life, and I promised him I would see his family safe and that's exactly what I plan to do." Slade sounded almost hurt, his voice wavering slightly.

"Can we please argue about this later?" Felicity begged as she looked around, wiping the sweat from her neck. This was no place to hang around for any length of time.

"Did you hear that?" Oliver asked Malcom as he looked towards the direction of the explosion.

"Yes." Malcolm confirmed scanning the skies himself. "There." A puff of smoke rose from a specific area to their North. "They must be ahead of us."

"They're heading for the freighter like I asked them too. They're all right."  
"Or they were, that sounded like a landmine."

"Hurray we need to catch up." Oliver said sprinting off towards the disturbance without waiting for Merlin to catch up.

"Oh my god Thea. Where did you get that gun?" Curtis asked as everybody stopped, stunned by the sudden turn of events.

"Thea think about this. He's the only one that knows how to get us off this island." Felicity tried to reason with her.  
Diggle slowly let go of Felicity who held onto a nearby tree for support. "Oliver wouldn't want this." Diggle tried to councel her, "He asked us to trust him, and we need to do that, for Oliver's sake."

"I will never trust this man." Thea swore as she aimed her gun and prepared to fire.

"Go ahead, fire, but I suggest you do it quickly." Slade dared her as he watched the trail behind them slowly sink into a pile of ash and debris. Thea pulled the trigger, her aim as good as it ever was, but the earth moved beneath her and she stumbled as she fired causing her to miss high before she fell backwards, landing on her arms in an awkward fashion.

"Felicity!" Curtis yelled from across the clearing. The trees were all falling around them as they were uprooted by the recent tremor. One landed to their right with a massive thud, detonating one of the few remaining land mines left on the island.

"Diggle?" He was too far away, already trying to secure Thea's weapon, and from where she sat on the log watching them, Felicity knew that she didn't have enough momentum to move out of the way in time. She felt something solid connect with her as a large plume of smoke filled the clearing, her head hit something solid and everything went dark.

"Felicity? Oh my god!" Curtis cried out as they tried to find each other in the dark.

"Over here." She coughed weakly as she tried to sit up, but something was pinning her to the ground.

"Don't take this the wrong way." His gruff voice chuckled, "But as much as I would love to continue this conversation I would really love it if you would stop moving around right now."

"What happened?" Felicity asked, trying to feel the sore patch on the back of her head, but realising that her hands were pinned.  
"I believe Ms Smoak, that I just saved your life, again. You can thank me later."

"Felicity. Are you ok?" Diggle asked as they tried to lift the tree branch that covered them both.

"Don't move until we check you out." Curtis seconded as the tree branch finally started to give way.

"Thanks for your concern." Slade replied sarcastically. But his wit was met with stunned silence as the branch lifted off of him to reveal a piece of the tree, almost 6 inches long, had penetrated his side as he shielded Felicity from the impact.

"What I wouldn't give for some Mirakuru right now." Slade joked as he sat up and inspected his wound. "That's going to take a while to heal."

"Don't move." Thea may have hated him, but it didn't stop her from removing her jacket and putting pressure on the wound. "We wouldn't want you to bleed out now."  
"And here I was thinking that you didn't care."  
"I don't." She said, pressing into the wound further.

"What on earth caused that?" Curtis asked as everyone sat around taking a moment after their near miss.

"Probably an aftershock caused by the gunfire. This whole island is unstable." Diggle suggested, "We need to get off of this island, now!"

"I'm not arguing with you there." Felicity said as she grabbed a nearby branch and fashioned it into a walking stick. "Point the way. Between you and me I can't wait for a warm bed and a hot cocoa right about now."

Together, a truce derived momentarily, they prepared to set off once again to make contact with the ARGUS Supply Vessel waiting for them on the East Shore.

"Wait, we need to stop." Thea called out as she trailed behind them. "You're bleeding out." She told Slade, who was well aware of his condition.

"It's nothing, we need to get to that boat before it leaves us behind. It can't be far now." He insisted as he removed one blood stained rag and replaced it with another. Thea looked around at the smouldering trees and the now barren landscape around them. "You know as well as I do what has to happen."  
"Wait what?" Felicity asked as Thea grabbed a stick and ignited it with a small flame still burning on a log nearby.

"Make it quick, and wipe that smirk off of your face." Slade teased with her as he lifted his shirt and revealed his wound.

"Oh god." Curtis cringed, "I can't look."

"Listen." Lance began as Slade supressed a loud scream, trying not to let the pain of his flesh searing closed show on his face.

"Felicity!" Oliver cried out as he came running through the scrub at a pace. He looked around at all of them, covered from top to toe in ash and sweat. They looked like they had been lost out here for days.

"Oliver!" She cried back, "Where's William?" She asked as he picked her up and held her tight.

"He's fine, he's on the boat. My god." He whispered in her ear, "I thought I'd lost you." He embraced her tightly again.

"I'm all right, I'm alright." She assured him, "But Slade isn't, he was injured." Oliver began paying attention to what was going on behind him. He glanced at Felicity one more time, noting her bandaged ankle and the scratch to her face, but followed her lead and went to join Thea.

"What happened?" He asked Slade, sensing the tension between them.  
"Speared by a tree branch kid, saving your girl. That has to win me some kind of brownie points."

"Don't count on it." Thea said as she checked to make sure the wound was sealing. "There. That should get you to the boat, if I don't kill you first."

"You already tried that." Slade reminded her, as Oliver looked at her with disapproval.

"Are you able to walk?" Oliver asked as he sent Thea so he could chat to Slade alone.

"Kid, we both know it takes a lot more than a flesh wound to keep me down."

"Fine." Oliver chuckled with him, but his tone quickly changed when he looked around and noticed that not everyone was with him. "Where's Samantha and the others?"  
"Oliver…" Diggle began, but was cut off by another sound approaching them from the West. Before Diggle could say anything, Nyssa appeared before them, looking just as beaten as they did.

"Nyssa?" Oliver asked impatiently as the others looked on eager to learn the fate of their friends.

"I am sorry husband." She bowed before him, "But I have failed you, I could not save the mother of your child."

Oliver felt his heart sink. Although he barely knew Samantha, and that their brief time together was over a decade ago, he did have a great respect for her. He felt a great pain of loss for William. His son had just lost the only family he had ever known. As Felicity and Diggle stepped closer to offer their support, Curtis looked to the direction where Nyssa had come from.

"And Rene? Dinah?" He asked, searching for his friends.

"Rene didn't make it either." Dinah announced as she came into view, "We tried everything Oliver. I am so sorry."

"Did she suffer?" He asked as Felicity wrapped herself around his arm. Adrian Chase had been right on one account, how much loss could one man bare before he broke?

"I believe that their deaths were quick." Nyssa offered him some peace. "They fell into a sink hole, they would have been gone within seconds. I am sorry my husband."

"Hmph." Oliver cleared his throat and held back his tears. "I've left William alone on the boat, we need to get back to him fast." He ordered them, eager to be out of this place and never to return.

"Here." Diggle offered out his hand for Felicity to take.

"I've got this D." Oliver thanked his friend as he lifted Felicity up onto his back.

"My god." Thea noticed the man standing in the shadows. His cover blown, he stepped forward.

"I didn't know if you wanted to see me again just yet." He said, approaching her slowly.

"I don't know how I feel, I…" She reached over and hugged him tightly, "Thank you." She said.

"You never need to thank me. I'm your father and I will always protect you."

"How did you survive?"  
"I'll tell you some time, but for now Oliver is right, we need to get off this island before it's too late."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"William, William?" Oliver called out, "It's all right William, it's Oliver Queen."

"Oliver?" His small voice called out from his hiding spot in the small boats cabin.

"Yes son, it's me. It's time to go home."  
"Where's mum?" He asked looking around for her.

"Um.. about that…." Oliver felt the pain gripping his heart like a vice again and the tears welling in his eyes.  
"She didn't make it, did she?" He was a smart kid, and very brave too Oliver thought, maybe he will be all right eventually.

"I'm sorry William, I am so sorry." He held him close, offering him support but allowing him to break free if he wanted to. It took him by surprise when William held him back, tightly and buried his head into his chest to cry.

"Was that man telling the truth? Are you my father?"  
"Yes William, I am."  
"Does that mean I'm going to live with you now?"  
"I'm not sure. But you don't need to do anything you don't want to. But I promise you this William, I'll never let anything happen to you ever again."

"I want to go home now please." He said, stepping back from the embrace and looking out across the burning landscape.

"Whatever you want William." Oliver placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, then turned on the engine to the boat so he could sail them around the bay to where he had left the others.

Hauled up in the mess room, eating piping hot bowls of soup and shrouded in warm thick blankets, Diggle, Felicity and the others never felt so grateful to be on a boat in all their lives. Nyssa sat in the corner, lost in quiet prayer for their lost companions. Lance and Diggle were sharing old stories of wars past and Thea and Merlin we quietly sitting in each others company, as they got to know each other again as father and daughter and not enemies. Dinah had taken herself off to be in isolation, still second guessing herself about how things should have turned out differently. Felicity sat, leaning against the pillar staring into her bowl while Curtis waited on her, making sure she was warm, fed and had everything she needed. But what she wanted he couldn't give her. What she wanted was Oliver, safe and in her arms, free from pain and guilt. She could feel Slade staring at her from across the room, but she tried to ignore it. Instead she took the hot drink Curtis handed her and tried to take slow sips, enjoying the aroma of the hot chocolate as it reminded her of her childhood, wrapped up in a blanket in winter, sitting by the fire and playing games with her mother. She wondered what Donna was doing right now.

"Oliver." The room fell silent as Slade announced his arrival.

"Hi guys, I'd like to introduce you to someone." He said, his hands perched on the shoulders of the boy standing before him, "Everyone, this is my son, William."  
"Hello William." Lance was the first to step up, introducing himself as "Detective Lance." And shaking his hand. "We are very pleased to meet you."  
"I've heard a lot about you William." Felicity said next, struggling to stand as she started to hobble over to them. Oliver shot her a 'don't even think about it look' as she miss stepped and went to fall back onto the bench. Curtis caught her just as Oliver went to lunge forward. Bringing William to her, Felicity extended an invitation for William to sit beside her.

"Do you like hot cocoa William? I bet your as hungry as we are."  
"Yes ma'am."

"You can call me Felicity, or Ms Smoak or…" She looked to Oliver for some guidance.

"Felicity is fine." Oliver assured her as he watched William settle in beside her and relax almost immediately.

"Here you go little man." Curtis handed William a cup of cocoa before moving back to give the three of them some space.

"Are you Oliver's girlfriend?" William asked innocently as he sipped on his cocoa.

"Yes." She smiled at Oliver, "If he still wants me."

"I never stopped wanting you." Oliver beamed, leaning in and kissing her passionately, so glad to have the touch of her again.

"Wooo." Curtis clapped and cheered, joined in by Diggle and Lance. "It's about time you two got back together."

"I agree." Felicity smiled, as Oliver pulled back and brushed the stray hair behind her ears, "I have too many regrets already, I don't want to have anymore."

"Husband?" Nyssa stood up and joined them as they all stood and contemplated what move she might make next. Looking at Oliver with stern disapproval, she bowed down before him and offered him her sword. "I request a divorce."

"She's your wife?" William asked confused.

"It's a long story William, one I'm not going to tell you until you are much older."

"Thank you Nyssa." Oliver added, as he handed her back her sword and accepted her kind gesture. "If you ever need anything, you know I will still always be there for you."

"Your burden is released now. I have no desire to hold you to your oath."  
"Still Nysaa… that's what friend's area for."

"Does it hurt much?" Oliver asked as they settled into a quiet corner for the night.

"Not a lot. The doctor said it was just badly sprained thank god."

"When Chase fired his gun, and the island started to erupt…" His voice drifted off in a croaky mumble and his eyes welled as she reached up and placed a reassuring hand on his cheek. "Everything I do, everything is because of you. I am nothing without you and I couldn't bare it if anything ever happened to you."  
"I know." She whispered, "But I'm here and I'm not going anywhere ever again. Walking out on you like that was one of the most selfish things I have ever done and I would give anything to turn back time and fix that mistake, but I can't. All I can do is promise you that from this point on, no matter what happens, not matter how many secrets you reveal, or don't reveal, that I will be here with you, by your side. Because you Oliver Queen mean just as much to me as I mean to you and I can't live without you."

"Felicity Smoak." He whispered, picking her up and laying her flat on the couch before them, "Marry me."  
"Yes." She cried happily, "Let's do it now, I don't want to wait, I've made you wait long enough."

"Not now, it wouldn't be right for William, but as soon as we make it home, you and I are going to make a date with City Hall."

"Mrs Oliver Queen." She whispered in his ear as he lifted off her blouse.

"I like the sound of that." He whispered back tracing his hand along the inside of her thighs.

:}


End file.
